Review of The Invisible Woman (2013) by Harry W — 27 Apr 2014

Although I wasn't sure what to expect from The Invisible Woman, since Ralph Fiennes was in it I decided to give it a shot.

The Invisible Woman is Likely to have appeal to fans of The English Patient as it teams up Academy Award nominees Kristin Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes once again, but as I found that film to be an excessively slow, long and boring tale which didn't justify itself with entertainment value or originality. So although The Invisible Woman only ran for 111 minutes, part of me expected much of the same thing.

My expectations were correct. Granted, The Invisible Woman wasn't as long and didn't feature Kristin Scott Thomas in as much of a big role, but from an entertainment standpoint I felt that The Invisible Woman was essentially equal to The English Patient in its very small quantity of entertainment value.

I'm not the best person to ask for an opinion on The Invisible Woman because I am not a fan of costume dramas or romantic dramas all that much, and The Invisible Woman is a formulaic entry into both genres.

While the acting is fine and Ralph Fiennes gives an effort as director to the film which renders it a strong visual experience, it is just way too long and boring for its own good.

Running at 111 minutes, The Invisible Woman doesn't allow enough movement for it to truly feel that it runs for that pace. I felt like The Invisible Woman ran for a full three hours due to its genial pace, and it left me bereft of any conceivable joy.

The story in The Invisible Woman is more focused on the important relationship that its two main characters share than it is on being a genuinely interesting story, and considering that I didn't find the characters to be that interesting whatsoever all that is left after that is a simply boring story which ran way too slowly and too long for its own good. I didn't find that the relationship between the characters was interesting at all because the story didn't capitalise on the historical importance of who the characters were and reduced them to being simple generic romantic characters with nothing interesting about them. It then went in a generic direction which introduced nothing to the romantic drama genre and simply circled the same basic melodrama again and again for ages. I got tired of the circles pretty fast and was just sitting around waiting for something to happen. And all that happened ended up being a sudden series of tedious time jumps which damaged the experience of the film even more and ensured that it was a certified terrible film for yet another reason: for the fact that it suddenly collapses under its narrative structure in a manner so thoroughly confusing that it is likely to leave viewers asking a lot of unanswered questions. The relationship between the two main characters has a tiny but of drama then is suddenly ok, and it has nowhere to go from there but into an abrupt movie ending. And since the ending is where it all collapses, it ends on a sour and terrible note to reflect the sour and terrible film that The Invisible Woman was as a whole.

The Invisible Woman is simply a generic romantic drama which holds the name of Charles Dickens as one of its main characters. If it wasn't about him specifically and was just about a random man who experienced the same thing, it would be easier for people to see as the generic and weak romantic drama that it truly is. But considering its lavish costumes and the way that it takes place during a certain complex setting, viewers are likely to try and make more of it. There isn't much to make out of it though, and the moment I realised that was the moment that I had to fight desperately to keep myself awake throughout the entire film. It was not a battle worth fighting in the end, and so I wouldn't recommend The Invisible Woman to anyone that isn't a die hard fan of period dramas or basic romantic films, and it lacks the heart to be even a film that tells audiences the importance of who Charles Dickens truly was.

On the aforementioned positive note, Ralph Fiennes does manage to ensure that The Invisible Woman is stylish enough. It is packed with exceptional costumes and artistic direction which ensures that it has the perfect look for establishing the time that the film came from, as against the backdrop of all the colourful scenery which contains the wonderful nature and seaside of its vibrant locations. And it is all magnificently lit and the cinematography is beautiful, so visually The Invisible Woman does not have problems to it.

And when it comes to the acting, the cast of The Invisible Woman deliver their best under the directional talent of Ralph Fiennes and bring the strength from the script to the surface of the film without problem.

Ralph Fiennes makes an exceptional lead. Taking on the role of iconic English writer Charles Dickens, Ralph Fiennes dedicates his passion to the part which ensures that the legacy of the man is held up, even if the film doesn't pay Charles Dickens the kind of tribute that he deserves. By fearlessly adopting the ambitions of the man and delivering a confident yet troubled line delivery, Ralph Fiennes gives a strongly realistic depiction of the kind of man Charles Dickens was, and by breathing his natural dramatic charm and charisma into the part, he makes the man the most interesting character in The Invisible Woman, giving some depth to him that viewers might not have expected or previously have been aware of. Ralph Fiennes is perfect for the role of Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman, and looks the part nearly as well as he acts it out.

And Felicity Jones completely nails the part of the titular Invisible Woman Nelly Ternan. Considering how far she has come since acting in the television series The Worst Witch, it is impressive to see the kind of dramatic impact she makes on he story in The Invisible Woman. Receiving the most amount of screen time and sharing a complex chemistry with Ralph Fiennes, Nelly Ternan makes herself a memorable actress for her performance in The Invisible Woman because of her youthful dramatic charisma and the way that she delivers her lines with such a dramatic depth that it captures the true sad spirit of her character is impressive. She conveys the true nature behind the complicated relationship that Nelly Ternan shared with Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman, and she makes an impressive performance.

Kristin Scott Thomas and Joanna Scanlan also give strong supporting performances in The Invisible Woman where their natural stew the allows them to take on their respective roles easily.

But despite the visual style of The Invisible Woman and the strong cast it holds. It never transcends the general traits of the rudimentary romantic drama that it is while holding mainly on to the awfully slow pacing and lack of stimulation from the genre.